Happy Thursday to YOU.
Today's Thankful Thursday is brought to you by aspen trees.
Tall, graceful, white-barked aspen trees. There are a few of these ladies that wait patiently every day for me to open my blinds to say hello. Their jazz-hand-leaves remind me that I'm far from home (no aspens in TN or KY!), but their stalwart stance reaffirms my mantra that I can 'bloom where I am planted'. And I love 'em for it!
The tall aspens' glowing influence unwittingly reminds Mr. H of his love for the far away land called Utah, and they bring back sweet-and-soggy memories of a camping trip during my summer stay with cousins in Arizona (1993?).
*sigh*
Do Aspens remind you of a time or place?
Or is there another tree that influences your memory files?
I'm thankful for those lovely aspens--I can see them from my living room couch & as I type these words.
I'm thankful for special moments over the past week that have reminded me of the magnitude of my mother role. Lemme share a few with you:
-J bringing me his favorite Susan Boynton book, crawling into my lap, and bopping his head as he prods me to read...nay SING the book to him (click here for the version we play regularly for the J, here for more Sandra Boynton fun).
-Taking J to the beach for the first time as a walking person--and watching him decide (ever so slowly) that *maybe* it was ok to have sand between his toes
-J walking up to us after dinner with his ball saying "Ball...?" with that perfect tiny-voice inflection that says "please play with me!"--and deciding to play ball BEFORE cleaning up, just because we CAN!
-J showing an interest in the framed print of Christ on our wall & hearing him say "Jesus" for the very first time ("Dee-sus")
These are just a few...they seem to be happening more & more as J is learning and able to share with me what he wants and through words really help me realize how much he IS LEARNING.
It is in those moments that I feel myself WATCHING from the outside...as a little boy crawls into his Mama's lap, experiences new things with an opinion of his own, asks his parents for some play time, as a little boy starts to recognize & learn about Jesus Christ.
In these moments...I am grateful for the opportunity to be his mother, and I feel compelled to step it up as he is ready to learn and grow at a faster pace than ever before. I need to make sure to pay attention when he points to the print on the wall so I can use that moment to teach him who our Savior is and how much He loves us.
I need to be willing to put off the routine to enjoy the moment.
I need to be in tune to J's world, so that I can share these moments WITH him, instead of mistakenly pass them by.
I am thankful for the glowing moments this past week that have reminded me of who I want to be.
As I look outside, I see the aspens are nodding in reverence. They feel it too. These days are flying fast & I have to cherish every moment. Each moment is a gift. Each moment is a treasure.
I am thankful.
5 comments:
I always look forward to your THANKFUL THURSDAY posts! Beautiful!
Notice how your learning speeds up with J's!
You gave me goosebumps and tears in my eyes. You are gifted, Girl, in many, many ways. Such a special family!
Aspens to me equal driving the Alpine Loop beyond Sundance. Jen and I used to drive the loop the first October Sunday afternoon every year, just to enjoy the fresh fall breezes and to see the leaf colors. We could get conference radio programming while enjoying the hairpin turns and altitude. Some years that week was early, others it was spot on.
We have some aspens here, but I haven't seen the thickets that Utah county had.
Beautifully written, Shara! Aspens are my favorite trees! Johnnie went to Colorado several years ago to elk hunt, and he surprised me with a beautiful pair of earrings upon his return. They were silver, about 3/4 of an inch wide and 1/2 inch tall. They were actual Aspen leaves, dipped in silver. They are so delicate and lacey looking and have that awesome, beautiful shape. I was so touched that he had thought of me and had found something that I loved so much. :)
Love, Susan
I remember being on one of our cross country trips to Utah and being in a whole grove of aspens on both sides of the road...I don't know if it was in Utah or Colorado. I still have a visual of that ....and the wierd magical feeling of those white trunks standing all around us , both sides of the road and as far as I could see. I can't really explain why that is so amazing. I guess just because most tree trunks are...brown. It is similar to the awe I feel when I see a stunning pink and orange sunset.
It is a sacred feeling, reverent.
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